Using Microsimulation to Evaluate the Impact of Automated Vehicles on Safety Performance of Signalized Intersections

Automated vehicles (AVs) are expected to offer great societal benefits by potentially reducing crashes. It is important to understand these impacts and to examine how this understanding may affect the planning of roadways and roadway improvements. Signalized intersections are of particular interest in this regard since the safety of these sites is particularly impacted by driving behavior, which, even in conventional vehicles, can be influenced by the presence of AVs. The study uses micro-simulation to generate simulated traffic conflicts as indicators of potential crashes, and models that relate crashes to conflicts, to examine the expected safety of signalized intersections in Toronto, Canada in the presence of automated vehicles at various penetration levels. In addition, the effect on crashes of introducing three hypothetical left turn treatments was also evaluated. The results indicate that intersection safety may improve in the presence of AVs. However, the safety effects of treatments may be reduced compared to the effects with no AVs. The implication is that the imminent introduction of AVs should be considered in developing priorities for future intersection improvements.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ANB00 Section - Safety.
• Authors:
  • Granados, Maria Espinosa
  • Persaud, Bhagwant
  • Rajeswaran, Thanushan
  • Saleem, Taha
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2018-1-7 to 2018-1-11
• Date: 2018

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 7p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automated vehicle control; Behavior; Highway safety; Left turns; Microsimulation; Signalized intersections; Traffic conflicts
• Geographic Terms: Toronto (Canada)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01664168
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 18-05956
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 26 2018 9:17AM